ASHLAND — Ashland County commissioners extended a discount afforded to prospective adoptive dog parents through February.
“Some of the volunteers and workers have really stepped up and getting them adopted,” said commissioner Michael Welch. “That’s good for us and good for the dogs.”
The Ashland County Dog Shelter’s adoption fee is normally $175. Commissioners waived the fee for dogs that have been at the shelter for more than 11 months on Jan. 18, to be effective through the rest of the month.
All other adoptable dogs would cost $50 to adopt through January. All adoptive parents would still be required to purchase a license for the dog.
Welch proposed extending the rule through the rest of February.
How many adoptions in January?
Ashland County Dog Warden Joe Eggerton said there have been 19 dogs adopted since the adoption fee reduction and discount.
“Not all of them have been senior dogs … most of them have been younger dogs,” he said.
Even still, it’s been a good trend, he said.
Eggerton reported one of the shelter’s older boxers — Roxy — is scheduled to be transported to Rescue Village, which describes itself as a “safe haven to homeless, abused and neglected animals where they receive expert veterinary care and daily enrichment.”
Eggerton confirmed that a longtime resident, Mack, was euthanized on Jan. 26.
He said Mack, a pit bull, had been scheduled to be euthanized before “the hoopla,” a reference to the scrutiny and public outrage surrounding the commissioner’s approval of a policy that required dogs housed at the shelter for more than a year to be euthanized.
“It’s not something we wanted to do,” Eggerton said of the sanctioned killing. “But he had some health issues and we didn’t want him to suffer.”
Advisory board update
Commissioners created a dog shelter advisory committee on Jan. 18 and unanimously appointed Dr. Laurie Mooney, a shelter volunteer, to be involved. The commissioners approved the action a week later.
Mooney has also served on the board of Homeward Bound, the nonprofit that serves as the shelter’s fundraising arm.
The suggestion for an advisory committee originally stemmed from Ian Robinson, a current Homeward Bound board member.
“This board will help to make conclusions and decisions beneficial to the staff, donors, residents and wellbeing of the dogs at the shelter,” Robinson has said of the committee.
Commissioner Bittle said he would meet with Mooney on Thursday to discuss details about newly formed committee.
Bittle said the committee will likely be comprised of a commissioner, representatives from Homeward Bound Inc. and No Pawz Left Behind, the shelter’s kennel manager, the dog warden and Mooney. He said the committee will be made of five, seven or nine people.
Mooney said she met with Bittle to discuss the committee’s structure and to hash out a mission statement. She said she hopes the committee’s first meeting would happen in a month.
“But the first order of business will be updating the rules and regulations and getting the rule on euthanasia out of there,” Mooney said.
Commissioners adopted the shelter’s rules and regulations on Jan. 11. Part of the 29-page document includes a rule that states “dogs that have been at the shelter for more than one year will be euthanized.” It went into effect on Jan. 16.
Mooney said the controversial rule has been put on hold, at least verbally.
“I don’t think a revision of that has come out yet,” she said.
Office hours
The shelter’s current office hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. from Tuesday to Friday. Appointments can be made for days the shelter isn’t opened, but advocates have expressed a need to eliminate appointment-only hours and to keep the doors open for additional days.
Commissioner Jim Justice said the commissioners are still considering the expansion of office hours at the dog shelter. Justice said the issue is people making appointments for a Saturday and not showing up.
“People aren’t showing up and our guys are sitting there four hours, we’re paying them overtime,” Justice said. “We’ve opened it up, as long as you make an appointment — but when people don’t show, it makes us think ‘why are we opening it up?’”
Bittle said one of the topics of discussion for the advisory board will be the shelter’s office hours.
He said he’ll have more details on the advisory board in two or three weeks.